I am thrilled to receive this accolade – now I’m looking to the next stage.

I’d like to serve on the CMI Management and Leadership Committee to give something back and, in general, I hope to be able to help outside my organisation as an adviser.

I moved to command the UK’s Attack Helicopter Force in April 2010, after completing the CMgr portfolio.

As a leader, I try to give clear direction and purpose, from the ground crew and technicians to the aircrew. Because of the strategic significance of the Apache helicopter, the briefing will sometimes go as far as Number 10 via the Ministry of Defence.

I have been fortunate to command at every level.

From platoon/flight, where I led approximately 30 people, through squadron, to regimental level, where I was responsible for 500 people and 43 aircraft, to force level. The key to success is good close-quarter leadership; this means choosing lieutenants and mentoring them carefully.

I am currently in charge of 3,000 people at Wattisham Flying Station, about half of whom are in uniform.

I wanted to make an impact. I looked at new initiatives to enhance the performance of the force. We aimed to reduce the “silo-thinking” culture that had become endemic in the military, and I am delighted to see a real difference in co-ordination.

In the JHC, there is a complex mixture of ground crew, technicians and aircrew, who have to work together as a team.

It was my mission to improve communication. In the JHC, my command team worked specifically on strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (Swot) analysis in summer 2010, which has stood the test of time and helped create better understanding.

Aspiring leaders and managers must learn to communicate and adapt as necessary.

Giving speeches and leading seminars are an important part of the learning process, as you have to understand your audience and meet their needs. In the end, all team challenges boil down to people.

Managing and leading in the military is both challenging and rewarding.

Managers/leaders should be able to confirm their professional status, especially when working alongside other chartered professionals, such as accountants and engineers. It affords us a parity that has long been missing.

Chartered Manager is a career-defining scheme.

Becoming a Chartered Manager helped me to recognise that I have hugely transferable skills that can be used elsewhere. This is important to me personally, as I will be leaving the army next year.

During my tenure I have helped to raise £300,000 to fund schools in Afghanistan as the fundraising director of the Afghan Appeal Fund.

We have built six schools for 8,000 boys and girls who wouldn’t have the chance of an education. This summer, my son and I cycled from Land’s End to John O’Groats. We completed the journey in 13 days and raised £5,000.

FIND OUT MORE

Colonel Neale Moss OBE is fundraising director and a trustee of the Afghan Appeal Fund. The charity is run by family and friends of British soldiers working to raise awareness of the plight of the people of Afghanistan and build schools for Afghan children. To find out more about their current projects, click here.

Want to be a Chartered Manager?

To find out whether the Chartered Manager award is right for you, head to its page on the CMI website at the Related Resources link below.

There, you can read more about the benefits on the CMI site and take our self-assessment questionnaire to receive a personalised report, and identify the most suitable award route for YOU.

To read inspiring success stories, please see the other Related Resources link below.

Alternatively, email or call the Chartered Manager team on 01536 207380.